Chapter 113 - A Secret Passage

Esme quickly pushed herself to her feet and stepped back from the bed in absolute horror, ''Did my hand awaken a consciousness of its own? What is it doing?" she quickly moved to her bed, thanking the heavens that Aleister was sleeping at the moment. She would not have known how to face him otherwise.

'Tap Tap'

There it was again. The sound of approaching footsteps.

The noise diverted her attention.

Esme waited for a long time on the bed but she could still hear the sound. It did not disappear this time unlike before.

Under the pale glow of moonlight, she picked up her gown in her hand and walked towards the door.

She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her slowly.

Taking out a candle from the candle stand on the wall, she glanced around the hallway.

There was no one in sight.

Esme closed her eyes and tried to focus her ears on the sound of the footsteps.

But she could not hear anything.

''Was I hearing things?'' Esme opened her eyes, a conflicted look appeared in them.

She did not know why she was a bit uneasy. 

She turned to go back inside the room but her eyes landed on the bloody handprint on the door.

Her footsteps staggered.

Her hand flew to her mouth when she noticed the fresh blood flowing through the carved door.

She slowly looked down only to notice the drops of blood on the floor.

Esme lowered the candle in her hand and followed the bloodstains on the floor. There was neither wind nor storm today but for some reason, the hallways were dark, except for the two candle stands on either side of the door.

The bloodstains led her to the hallway behind Aleister's room.

Her footsteps came to a halt when she realized where she was.

When she came to the castle, she heard rumors about how everyone feared this part of the castle, how they dreaded the Prince, and how creepy this eerie hallway was.

Later, a maid's corpse was found from this hallway and the magistrate tried to accuse Aleister of killing that maid.

Esme glanced at the wall. There were portraits of the current King and his ancestors.

'Drip Drip Drip'

The hair on the back of her neck stood up when she felt something wet on her shoulder.

Esme stiffened as she heard the sound of faint breathing.

There was someone.

Her fingers tightly gripped the candle in her hand and she slowly raised her head towards the ceiling, a layer of sweat covering her forehead.

There was nothing except for a trail of water dripping from the ceiling. She released the breath she did not know she was holding.

But it was only a moment later when she realized something. It was not raining today and even if it rained, then why would there be water dripping from these intricately built castle walls or ceilings?

She broke out in cold sweat.

Esme turned around to leave the place. Her body felt frail after she healed Aleister.

But she knew that all these strange occurrences were not her hallucination nor was she seeing things because she was tired. She has not lost her mind.

There was something very eerie about this place.

''AHHHHH!"

The shrill scream made her halt in her tracks.

That familiar voice.

Where did the sound come from?

Esme stared at the floor blankly. She was certain that she heard the sound coming from there.

''Who is there…Ah!!"

'Thud'

The floor split open and Esme fell inside it. She instinctively curled her body but she could feel the bone-crushing pain near her right shoulder when she landed on a surface.

She opened her eyes only to realize that she could no longer identify her surroundings.

It was a huge room but there was no furniture around nor any light. The only source of light in the room was a grand glass chandelier hanging on the ceiling with candles on the top.

''Sss…'' Esme let out a shuddering breath as she propped her body on her elbow and sat up on the floor. She pushed herself to her feet and glanced at the mirrored wall on her left side. The whole wall consisted of a huge mirror. 

''It took you so long. I was bored waiting for you,'' came a voice from behind.

Esme spun on her heel, her lips thinning at the sight of the person she saw, ''It's you.''

''Indeed, it is me. Are you surprised?" Liz tilted her head to the side and smiled sweetly.

But to Esme, that smile looked disgusting. The woman in front of her eyes was someone entirely different from how she had known her to be.

Earlier when she was leaving this place, she had heard that shriek and she found the voice familiar. She recognized it to be Liz's voice at the very first instant but she was not intending to look for her.

She wanted to leave. Little did she know what happened that the floor will split open and she will end up falling here.

Was this a secret passage? A secret passage right under that eerie hallway?

''Why are you doing this?" Esme glanced at Liz while trying to control her mind.

''What will I get after telling you about it?" Liz jumped and clapped her hands like a little girl.

Esme's lips thinned when she looked into Liz's eyes but nothing happened. For some reason, she could not control Liz's mind. It has never happened before with her. But her powers have always been this unreliable. They won't work whenever she needed them.

Looking at Liz's antics, she wondered if this woman had lost her mind by any chance?

''Let's get out of here?"

''Princess, wait!'' Liz ran towards her.

Esme froze. Princess? Her identity was yet to be officially announced then how did Liz know about it?

She turned around to look at her.

Liz came to stand in front of Esme, ''Will you play a game with me? I told you I am bored…''

''Ask Keith to play games with you.. I can't.''